U.S. patent application number 12/370085 was filed with the patent office on 2009-06-11 for continuous feed cap mechanism.
This patent application is currently assigned to Arrow Fastener Company, Inc.. Invention is credited to Ilya Shor.
Application Number | 20090145944 12/370085 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39112429 |
Filed Date | 2009-06-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090145944 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shor; Ilya |
June 11, 2009 |
CONTINUOUS FEED CAP MECHANISM
Abstract
A continuous cap feed mechanism for use with fastener driving
device includes a housing for receiving a coiled strip of
interconnected caps removably mounted the fastener driving device.
The housing includes a passageway for guiding the strip of caps
from the coil to a position beneath a fastener to be driven by the
fastener driving device and an advancing mechanism for moving the
leading cap on said strip from the passage to the position beneath
the fastener to be driven after the fastener driving device drives
a prior fastener into a cap and as it is moved away from the
previously driven fastener. The advancing mechanism includes a
driver movably mounted in the housing for movement between an
extended and retracted position adjacent the location on the
fastener driving device at which the fastener driving device drives
fasteners. The driver is moved from its extended to its retracted
position as it engages a work piece to which a cap is to be
fastened is biased towards its extended position and includes a
pusher mechanism for engaging a cap in the strip in the housing and
urging the strip in the passageway towards the fastener driving
device as the driver returns to its extended position when the
housing is moved away from the work piece.
Inventors: |
Shor; Ilya; (Brooklyn,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FITZPATRICK CELLA HARPER & SCINTO
30 ROCKEFELLER PLAZA
NEW YORK
NY
10112
US
|
Assignee: |
Arrow Fastener Company,
Inc.
Saddle Brook
NJ
|
Family ID: |
39112429 |
Appl. No.: |
12/370085 |
Filed: |
February 12, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11730603 |
Apr 3, 2007 |
7506789 |
|
|
12370085 |
|
|
|
|
60840832 |
Aug 28, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
227/8 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B25C 5/1693
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
227/8 |
International
Class: |
B27F 7/17 20060101
B27F007/17 |
Claims
1. A continuous feed cap mechanism for use with a manually operated
fastener device comprising a housing, a coil of interconnected caps
in the housing, means in the housing for advancing the lead cap on
the coil to a position in which a fastener can be driven into it by
the fastener device driving means including means in the housing
for contacting a work piece as the fastener device is moved towards
the work piece and means for severing a cap beneath the fastener
device from the coil of caps.
2. A continuous feed cap mechanism for use with a manually operated
fastener device comprising a housing, a coil of interconnected caps
in the housing, means in the housing for contacting a work piece as
the fastener device is driven against the work piece, means for
severing a cap beneath the fastener device and means for advancing
the leading cap in the coil into position when the fastener device
is removed from the work piece.
3. A continuous cap feed mechanism for use with a fastener driving
device comprising, a housing for receiving a coiled strip of
interconnected caps and means for removably mounting said housing
on a fastener device; said housing including a passageway for
guiding the strip of caps from the coil to a position beneath a
fastener to be driven by the fastener driving device; and means in
said housing for advancing the leading cap on said strip from said
passage to said position beneath a fastener to be driven
independently of the fastener driving device after the fastener
driving device drives a prior fastener into a cap and as it is
moved away from the previously driven fastener.
4. A continuous cap feed mechanism as defined in claim 3 wherein
said means for advancing the leading cap on the strip includes
driver means movably mounted in the housing adjacent the location
on the fastener driving device at which the fastener driving device
drives fasteners for movement between an extended and retracted
position, and said driver means includes a driver plate moveably
mounted in the feed mechanism housing for movement between an
extended and a retracted position, said driver plate being moved
from its extended position to its retracted position as it engages
a work piece to which a cap is to be fastened, means for biasing
said driver towards said extended position and means connected to
said driver for engaging a cap in said strip in the housing and
urging the strip in said passageway towards the fastener driving
location as the driver plate returns to its extended position when
the housing is moved away from said work piece.
5. A continuous feed cap mechanism as defined in claim 4 including
cutting means on said driver for cutting the connection between the
leading cap and the next adjacent cap as the driver approaches its
fully retracted position.
6. A continuous cap feed mechanism as defined in claim 5 including
means for pushing said next adjacent cap away from said cutter
means as said driver returns to its extended position.
7. A continuous cap feed mechanism as defined in claim 3 including
means in said housing for holding the cap strip in said passage
against movement while the driver moves from its extended to its
retracted position.
8. A continuous cap feed mechanism as defined in claim 3 wherein
said housing has a removable side to allow installation of said
coil of caps.
9. A continuous cap feed mechanism as defined in claim 4 wherein
said means for urging the strip in said passageway towards the
staple gun comprises a pusher mounted on the driver plate for
movement towards and away from said strip and located to be
positioned between two adjacent caps in the strip at each of the
extended and retracted positions of the driver, and means for
biasing said pusher towards said strip.
10. A continuous cap feeding mechanism as defined in claim 9
wherein said pusher includes a pair of pusher arms having tapered
ends for pushing against one of the caps in the strip as the driver
plate returns from its retracted to its extended position and for
riding over a cap against the pusher biasing means as the driver
plate moves from its extended to its retracted position.
11. A continuous feed cap mechanism as defined in claim 5 including
second cutter means mounted in the housing in a fixed position
above and adjacent the path of travel of the cap strips and
adjacent the path of travel of the driver plate whereby the two
cutting means cooperate to separate the lead cap from the next
adjacent cap.
12. A continuous cap feed mechanism as defined in claim 7 wherein
said holding means comprises a latch member pivotally mounted in
the housing and having a pair of fingers engaging caps in the strip
and means for biasing said fingers into engagement with the cap in
the strip.
13. A continuous cap feed mechanism as defined in any one of claims
9 and 10 wherein said holding means comprises a latch member
pivotally mounted in the housing and having a pair of fingers
engaging caps in the strip and means for biasing said fingers into
engagement with the caps on the strip.
14. A continuous cap feed mechanism as defined in claim 13 wherein
said latch member is located to position said fingers between the
same two caps in the strip where said pusher is located in the
retracted position of the driver.
15. A continuous cap feed mechanism as defined in claim 14 wherein
said fingers of said latch member are spaced apart further than the
pusher arms of said pusher.
16. A continuous cap feed mechanism as defined in claim 6 wherein
said means for pushing comprises a pusher plate movably mounted in
said housing adjacent the driver plate and means for biasing the
pusher plate to an extended position below the point at which said
cutter means cuts said adjacent caps, whereby the pusher plate
retracts in the housing as the next adjacent cap is cut and the
pusher plate is biased to push said next adjacent cap in the same
direction as the driver plate moves in returning to its extended
position.
17. A continuous cap feeder as defined in claim 4 wherein said
driver has an opening therein through which the caps pass before
reaching a position to beneath a fastener to be driven by the
fastening device.
18. A continuous feed cap mechanism as defined in claim 17
including cutting means on said driver for cutting the connection
between the leading cap and the next adjacent cap as the driver
approaches its fully retracted position.
19. A continuous feed cap mechanism as defined in claim 18 wherein
said cutting means comprises a plate mounted on the driver plate
having an opening therein through which said caps pass and
including a lower edge below the path of travel of the caps, said
lower edge including a sharpened cutting edge.
20. A continuous feed cap mechanism as defined in claim 19
including second cutter means mounted in the housing in a fixed
position above and adjacent the path of travel of the cap strips
and adjacent the path of travel of the driver plate whereby the two
cutting means cooperate to separate the lead cap from the next
adjacent cap.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Provisional
Application No. 60/840,832 filed Aug. 28, 2006, and is a divisional
of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/730,603 filed Apr. 3, 2007,
now U.S. Pat. No. ______.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to fastener driving devices
and more particularly to a continuous feed cap device for
automatically feeding plastic caps to a position relative to a
fastener driving device for allowing a fastener to be driven
through the cap.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] It is well known in the art to utilize conventional powered
or hand operated fastener driving devices to drive a nail or staple
into a substrate. However, when fastening frangible materials, such
as felt, plastic house wrap, sheeting, roofing, tar paper or the
like, it often is necessary to use a so-called fastener cap with
the nail or staple. Such caps minimize damage to the sheet material
from the fastener and reduce leakage of moisture at the location of
the fastener.
[0004] Originally, such fastener caps were applied manually by
holding the fastener down against the substrate before applying the
nail or staple and then manually driving the nail or staple through
the fastener and sheet material into the substrate or work
surface.
[0005] Because of the desirability of the use of such fastener
caps, and the labor intensive, and hence expensive, process of
manually applying the caps to the work substrate or work piece, a
number of different forms of cap feeding devices have been
developed over the years for use with automatic air or electric
powered fastener drivers and also others for use with manual
fastener drivers. However, typically such cap feeding devices are
bulky, heavy, hard to handle, and require substantial modification
of the underlying fastener tool for operation. Examples of complex
automatic cap feeders for use with powered fastening devices are
shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,145,725 and 5,934,504.
[0006] Cap feeding devices designed for use with manual fastener
drivers and particularly the well-known Arrow T50 and HT50 brand
staple gun tackers are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,385,498 and
6,966,389 respectively. These devices each require the replacement
or modification of some portion of the original staple gun with a
modified component. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,385,498 a
modified nose piece for the staple gun is required to be used,
while in U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,389 the movable striker or driver 14
must be replaced with a striker or driver that has at least one
perforated side wall to accept a pivotal connection, or that side
wall must be modified to provide a pivot hole before the feed
device can be attached.
[0007] Accordingly, there is a present need for a continuous cap
feeder assembly that can be easily attached to an existing hand
operated fastener driving device, e.g. a staple gun tacker, without
the need for any modification of the fastener driving device by the
owner. Such a feed mechanism can be sold and marketed separately
from a conventional staple gun tacker for retro fitting and/or
removable mounting from the tacker.
[0008] While the present invention described herein is being
directed particularly to a well-known HT50 brand staple gun tacker,
as would be understood by those skilled in the art it can be
readily adapted to other types of fastener driving devices, such as
staple gun tackers or nailers, whether hand operated or powered by
compressed air or electricity. Accordingly, as used herein, the
terms fastener driving device and fastener respectively include
staple guns, staple gun tackers, nailers and staples and nails or
the like.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide a
continuous cap feed mechanism which can be easily mounted on and
removed from an existing fastener driving device, and particularly
to a hammer tacker type fastening device used to drive nails or
staples.
[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
light weight compact continuous cap feed mechanism for mounting on
a conventional fastener driving device.
[0011] Yet another object of the invention is to provide a
continuous cap feed mechanism which is light weight and reliable in
operation, while being readily removable from a conventional
fastener driving device.
[0012] A still further object of the present invention is to
provide a continuous cap feeding mechanism which is simple and
reliable in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a
continuous cap feeding mechanism is provided which is adapted to
the removably mounted on a conventional hammer tacker fastener
driving device (also sometimes referred to herein as a "fastening
device") or the like in a convenient manner by professionals or
do-it-yourself home care enthusiasts. In the illustrative
embodiment of the invention the cap feeding mechanism is disclosed
as being adapted to be mounted on a conventional HT 50 brand Hammer
Tacker which is a device well-known to those familiar with the
fastening arts. The tacker is manually operated in a manner similar
to the use of a hammer in that the drive head when impacted against
a work piece by a swinging motion from the handle, fires a staple
into the work piece.
[0014] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the
continuous cap feed mechanism includes a housing in which a
continuous coil of interconnected preferably plastic cap members is
received with one end of the coiled strip extending through a
passage way in the housing arranged to direct the lead most cap in
the strip to a position below the drive mechanism of the fastener
driving device so that the lead most cap is positioned to be
secured to the work piece when the fastener device drive head is
struck against the work piece.
[0015] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention
mechanism there is provided within the housing means for advancing
the cap strip, one cap length at a time, immediately after the
preceding cap has been secured into the work piece by a staple or
nail. This self contained unit does not affect the structure of the
fastener driving device itself and operates at the same time as the
fastener driving device when the fastening device is struck against
the work piece.
[0016] In yet another aspect of the present invention the
continuous cap feeding mechanism includes a drive arrangement which
includes a driver or driver plate located in the housing to be
immediately adjacent to the drive head of the fastener driving
device and slidably mounted in the housing to move between an
extended position and a retracted position in the housing. In the
extended position the bottom or foot of the driver is position to
engage the work piece prior to the actuating device of the fastener
driving device. Upon engagement with the work piece the driver
moves into the housing towards its retracting position. A spring
biased pusher element is secured to the driver for movement
therewith. The pusher is itself biased into engagement with a
section of the cap strip in the passage way of the housing and is
pushed away from the path of travel of the cap strips as the driver
is retracted during the striking motion. At the extreme retracted
position of the driver, the pusher is biased into engagement
between two caps on the strip. The driver itself is spring biased
to its extended position so that when the fastening device is
removed from the work piece, the driver is urged to its extended
position with the result that the pusher pushes the strip in the
passageway towards and along a path of travel leading to the area
at the fastener driver device in which staples will be driven. The
length of the stroke of the path of travel of the driver and hence
of the pusher is arranged to be approximately the length of one
cap.
[0017] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention
the driver of the continuous cap feeding mechanism includes a knife
or cutter secured thereto and located below the path of travel of
the caps to the driving area of the fastener driving device so that
as the driver reaches its fully retracted position the cutter or
knife severs the connection between the lead cap and the
immediately adjacent following cap of the strip.
[0018] In accordance with a still further aspect of the invention a
stop or latching device is provided in the housing to prevent
wayward movement of the strip of caps in the passageway during
retraction of the driver.
[0019] The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art
from the following detailed description of an illustrative
embodiment of the invention when read in connection with the
accompanying drawings which are merely illustrative, and
wherein:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a prior art hammer tacker
used in accordance with the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the continuous cap feed
mechanism attached to the staple gun shown in FIG. 1;
[0022] FIG. 2 is a side view of the attachment and hammer tacker
shown in FIG. 1 with parts removed;
[0023] FIG. 3 is a side view similar to FIG. 2 showing the movement
of the components of internal drive mechanism of the feeder as the
hammer tacker is being struck against a substrate and work
piece;
[0024] FIG. 4 is a side view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3 showing the
position of the component of the device at the instant the fastener
or staple has been driven;
[0025] FIG. 5A is an enlarged view of the front portion of the
mechanism, as shown in the position shown in FIG. 3 as the fastener
device is being driven towards the work piece;
[0026] FIG. 5B is an enlarged sectional view similar to FIG. 5A and
FIG. 4, showing the configuration of the components of the feeder
device at the instant the fastener is fully driven;
[0027] FIG. 6 is perspective view of the driver plate used in the
feed mechanism;
[0028] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the driver plate of FIG. 6
and a cutter or knife mounted thereon;
[0029] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an ejector plate used in the
feed mechanism;
[0030] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cover plate used in the
feed mechanism;
[0031] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a stop element used in the
feed mechanism;
[0032] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a bracket used in the feed
mechanism;
[0033] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a pusher which lies within
the bracket of FIG. 11;
[0034] FIG. 13 is a plain view of an upper cutter knife used in the
feed mechanism;
[0035] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of one of two mirror image
guide plates used on the feed mechanism;
[0036] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the knife mounted which is
shown mounted on the driver in FIG. 7;
[0037] FIG. 16 is a plain view of the interior of one side of the
housing for the feed mechanism;
[0038] FIG. 17 is a plan view of the opposite side of the housing
part shown in FIG. 16;
[0039] FIG. 18 is an internal plain view of the other side of the
housing used in the feed mechanism;
[0040] FIG. 19 is a plain view of the opposite side of the housing
part shown in FIG. 18;
[0041] FIG. 20 is a plain view of a strip of caps used with the
feed mechanism of the invention; and
[0042] FIG. 21 is a bottom view of a portion of the strip of caps
used in the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0043] Referring now to the drawings in detail, and initially to
FIGS. 1 and 2, a commercially available fastener driving device 10
is illustrated which is sold under the trade mark HT50 by the Arrow
Fastener Company. This fastening device is a staple gun hammer
tacker which includes a drive head 12 and a handle 14. Drive head
12 contains an operating mechanism 16 of known construction and is
not described here in detail. However, basically, that drive
mechanism includes a driver plate or knife which is activated to
fire a staple into a work piece as the bottom surface 18 of the
device is struck against the work piece by the user holding the
handle 14. The drive mechanism includes a striker 20 which extends
below the surface 18 and is adapted to retract into head 12 as it
strikes a work piece under the force of the blow. The retraction of
striker 20 into head 12 releases the internal operating mechanism
to drive a knife or plate in head 12 which in turn drives a staple
or nail from a strip of staples or nails stored in a magazine in
handle 14. Such mechanisms are shown for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos.
2,896,210 and 2,757,378, the disclosures of which are incorporated
herein by reference.
[0044] As noted above, the particular fastener driving device 10
illustrated in FIG. 1A is suitable for driving a staple in a
workpiece, however, it could also be used with suitable
modifications known to those skilled in the art to drive individual
nails.
[0045] In operation, when striker 20 engages with a substrate or
workpiece, the staple is driven from the head immediately behind
striker 20 in the staple-firing or driving area 21.
[0046] FIG. 1B illustrates a continuous cap feed mechanism 22
secured to the head 12 of the fastener device 10, as described
hereinafter.
[0047] Feed mechanism 22 includes a housing 24 which is adapted to
contain a coil 26 of individual caps 26' which, upon operation of
the device is moved to present the leadmost cap left on the coil
under the fastener driving or striking area 21 of the fastener
device 10. In that position when the fastener driving device is
operated to strike the striker 20 against a substrates or work
surface W (see FIGS. 3-5), a fastener will be driven into the cap
and thus held firmly against the substrate or workpiece.
[0048] The caps used in the coil 26 according to the present
invention are shown in FIG. 20. These individual caps are
preferably formed of plastic and are connected to one another by a
single small strip of plastic 27. The caps are shown somewhat
schematically in FIG. 1B, and more schematically in the other views
(of FIGS. 2-5) of the drawings.
[0049] Housing 24 is formed of two housing sections 28, 30 which
are shown in FIGS. 16, 17 and 18, 19 respectively and mate along a
seam or joint line 31. As seen in FIGS. 16 and 18, the internal
surfaces of these housing sections include ribs structures 32 which
provide structural reinforcement for the housing as well as
rigidity. They also include a plurality of aligned apertures, as
described hereinafter, which permit bolts or screws to be used to
secure the housing parts together and to the fastening device 10.
In addition, the internal surfaces of the housing parts include
upper and lower pairs of guide ribs 34, 36 which serve to guide
certain of the operating parts of the mechanism during
operation.
[0050] As seen in FIGS. 2 and 18, the rib structure 32 in housing
part 28 is shaped to define a recess 25 in the interior of the
housing which conforms to the peripheral shape of the head 12 of
the fastening device 10 and about half its width. The internal
surface of the housing part 30 contains a similar recess 25 (FIG.
12) defined by its ribs structure 32 so that the housing halves fit
tightly against the head of fastener device 10.
[0051] As will be understood by those familiar with the HT 50
hammer tacker, as seen in FIG. 1A, two external covers, 38, 40 form
a part of the external appearance of the fastener device. These
covers are secured in place by bolts 42 which extend through the
main body part 41 and are secured on the other side of head 12 by
nuts or the like, not shown. Housing parts 28, 30 include pairs of
aligned apertures 44, which are located to align with the apertures
in 38 and 40 when head 12 of fastener device 10 is placed in the
recesses 25 of housing section 28. By simply removing bolts 42,
and, for example, placing the housing section 30 over the mating
portion of the housing section 28, and then resecuring bolts 42, or
using longer bolts if necessary, the feed mechanism 24 is secured
fast to the head 12 of the fastening device 10 for easy and secure
movement therewith.
[0052] Each of the housing halves 28, 30 also has an external
L-shaped leg 31 formed thereon with an opposed foot 33, located to
engage beneath the head 12 of the fastener device as seen in FIG.
2, to provide additional support for the mechanism on the fastener
device.
[0053] Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 18, it will be understood
that the cap feed device is shown with housing section 30 and a
cover plate 45 for housing section 28 (see FIG. 1A) removed for
clarity. As seen therein housing section 28 includes a generally
circular cavity 46 having a central inwardly projecting cylindrical
post 48 formed therein. The coil 26 of interconnected caps 26', is
installed in cavity 46 so it may unwind in a counter-clockwise
direction, as viewed in FIG. 2. The coil is not connected to post
48, but simply wraps around it. Preferably, the inner surface 50 of
cavity 46 is provided with a plurality of internal teeth 52 which
are inclined in the direction of unwinding of the coil to permit
the cap strip to unwind in the counter-clockwise direction.
However, the raised teeth ends 53 will resist unwinding in the
clockwise direction.
[0054] Post 48 has a recess 49 at its file end which defines two
opposed legs 49. Once the coil of caps is placed in cavity 46 and
the lead end of the coil is introduced to the adjacent passageway
and advancing mechanism as described hereinafter, the circular
cover disk 45 is placed over the coil and cavity to hold the coil
in. As seen in FIG. 1B a simple latch member is pivotally mounted
between post legs 49 on a pin or the like so that in the position
shown in FIG. 1B it holds disk 45 in place and in a second position
wherein it is pivoted to be aligned with post 48 the cover can be
removed. The latch member 51 can be a simple friction latch or be
spring biased as would be apparent to those skilled in the art.
[0055] The rib structures 32 and front walls 53, 55 of housing
parts 28 and 30 define a passageway 54 which leads from the cavity
46 to the front 56 of the housing 28 and downwardly to a position
60 adjacent the front end 62 and striker 20 of fastening device 10.
As seen most clearly in FIG. 1B, the edges 63 of housing parts 28,
30 along seam 31 are shaped to define an opening in the forward end
56 of housing 24 through which one or more of the caps 26' can be
seen, and for additional purposes described hereinafter.
[0056] Referring yet again to FIG. 2, feed mechanism 24 includes an
advance mechanism 70 which is actuated upon movement of the
fastener device 10 towards and against a substrate or workpiece in
order to advance caps 26', one at a time, to the driving position
21 beneath head 12 of fastening device 10. This advancing mechanism
includes a system for resisting movement of the cap strip upwardly
in the vertical portion of the passage 54, seen in FIG. 2, and
includes a mechanism for cutting the tab connection 27 between the
leading most cap 26' at the striking position 21 and the next
adjacent cap as the fastener or staple is being driven through the
leadmost cap, as described hereinafter.
[0057] Advancing mechanism 70 includes a drive plate 72 shown in
FIG. 6. The drive plate includes a lower section 74 and an upper
section 76. The upper section 76 is adapted to ride in channels 78
formed in the housing halves 28, 30 by the ribs 34. The drive plate
or driver 76 is adapted to slide relative to those channels between
an extended position shown in FIG. 2 and a retracted or driving
position shown in FIG. 4. As seen in FIG. 2, driver 72 is located
immediately in front of the front surface 62 of the head 12 of
fastener device 10.
[0058] As seen in FIG. 6, the lower end 74 of driver 72 includes an
enlarged slot or opening 78 through which the path of travel of the
strip of caps 26' extends on its way to driving location 21. The
extreme lower end 80 of plate 72 has a pair of perpendicular feet
82 formed thereon to provide an enlarged bearing surface to engage
the substrate or workpiece during operation of the fastening device
10.
[0059] The upper end 84 of plate 72 has a pair of ears 86 formed
thereon one of which has an aperture 88 formed therein which is
used to bias the plate to its extended position as described
below.
[0060] Driver 72 is biased towards its fully extended position
shown in FIG. 2 by a coil spring 90. That spring is attached at one
end 92 in the opening 88 in one of the ears 86. The other aligned
end 94 of coil spring 90 is engaged around a roll pin or the like
96 mounted in the cylindrical recesses 100 formed on the opposite
halves 28, 30 of the internal surfaces of the housing parts.
[0061] Advance mechanism 70 includes a cap pusher mechanism 102
secured to driver 72. This pusher mechanism includes a guide
bracket 104, as seen in FIG. 11, having a pair of tabs 106 which
are secured by means of roll pins, rivets or the like on the front
face 108 of driver 72 in the holes 110 in the driver and the holes
112 of the guide bracket. As seen in FIG. 11, guide bracket 104 is
basically a U-shaped member having a bite portion 114 which faces
the surface 108 of plate 72 when secured thereto as described
above. In addition, the legs 116 of guide 104 include opposing tabs
118 contained therebetween which serve to guide a pusher member
120. That pusher member (FIG. 12) is also U-shaped, having a bite
portion 122 including a circular opening 124 therein, and a pair of
legs 126. The free ends of these legs are tapered to provide an
upwardly inclining ramp surface 128 and a relatively flat bottom
surface 130.
[0062] As seen in FIGS. 2 and 5A, for example, a pin 132 such as
for example a roll-pin, is located within the guide 104 and secured
at its opposite ends in the opening 115 of bite 114 and opening 124
of bite 122 in pusher 120. That pin is surrounded by a coil spring
134 which biases pusher 120 to the left in FIG. 2 so that its free
ends enter into the vertical portion of the passageway 56 where the
ends of the legs 126 can engage the caps 26'. It is noted that in
this area of the passageway the rib structure and wall 55, in
housing halves 30, 28, which form the passageway 56 define an
opening 136 which allows the pusher 120 to move up and down with
the driver plate while engaging the caps.
[0063] In the extended position of driver 72, shown in FIG. 2, the
free ends of the legs 126 of pusher 120 extend between two adjacent
caps in the strip of caps. As driver 72 is engaged against the work
surface as seen in FIG. 3, the driver begins to move upwardly into
housing 24 along the grooves 78 in the housing halves, carrying the
pusher mechanism 102 with it. As plate 72 advances inwardly, pusher
element 120 is pushed to the right, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3,
against the bias of spring 134, and the inclined surfaces 128 of
the legs 126 ride on and over the top inclined surfaces of the
adjacent cap 26'.
[0064] The components of the feed mechanism are dimensioned such
that when drive plate 72 reaches its internal most position, shown
in FIGS. 4 and 5B, the pusher mechanism 102 arrives at the other
end of the adjacent cap 26' it has just ridden over and its ends
enter the space between the caps on opposite sides of the adjacent
connecting strip.
[0065] When the fastening device is moved away from the workpiece,
i.e., away from the position shown in FIG. 5B, the coil spring 90
will urge the driver 72 to its extended position in FIG. 2. Since
the pusher mechanism moves with the drive plate, the engagement of
the ends or surfaces 130 of legs 126 of the pusher against the
adjacent cap cause the strip of caps to advance one cap length n
passageway 56 until the position shown in FIG. 2 is reached. This
is shown, for example, in FIG. 18 where the ends and surface 130 of
legs 126 are shown in the lowermost position of the drive plate
extending between two adjacent caps 26'.
[0066] Advance mechanism 70 also includes a stop mechanism 140
adjacent to passageway 54, to prevent upward movement of the cap
strip in the passageway as a result of its engagement with the
pusher 120 during the striking operation. Stop mechanism 140
includes a U-shaped stopper element 142 (FIG. 10) having a bite
portion 144 and a pair of legs 146. Those legs have free ends 148
which are tooth shaped and have inclined surfaces for riding over
the caps in the cap strip. As seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, legs 148 are
spaced further apart than the legs 128 of the pusher 120 so that,
as seen in dotted lines in FIGS. 4 and 5B, the pusher extends
between the legs 148 when it arrives at its uppermost position.
[0067] Stopper 142 is pivotally mounted on a pin 150 mounted in the
complementary cylindrical recesses 152 formed in housing halves 28
and 30. That pin is surrounded by a coil spring 154 having one leg
156 engaged against a rib portion 32' of the internal surface of
the housing part 28 and another leg 158 received in an aperture 159
formed in a tab 161 of the stop. By this arrangement, the ends or
teeth 148 of the legs 146 are always maintained in contact with the
cap strip 26. In the fully extended position of driver 72, the ends
148 of the stop legs 146 are engaged in the space between two
adjacent caps on either side of the connecting strip between the
caps. This is also shown in FIG. 1B where it is seen that the ends
148 are located between adjacent caps 26 on each side of connecting
strip 27. As a result, when the fastener device is operated to
drive a staple and the drive plate 72 moves into the housing
drawing the pusher 120 over the adjacent cap 26, that cap will
remain in place and not move because of its engagement with the
stop 142.
[0068] Referring again to FIG. 2, feed mechanism 22 also includes a
cutter arrangement 160 for severing the connecting tab 27 between
adjacent caps 26 when the fastener is driven through a cap into the
substrate or work piece. Cutting mechanism 160 includes a first
cutter 162, shown in FIG. 15 and a second upper cutter 164 shown in
FIG. 13.
[0069] First or lower cutter 162 consists of a plate 165 having an
opening 166 which is generally complementary to the opening 78
formed in driver plate 72. Cutter plate 165 has a pair of tabs 168
on opposite sides of the opening 166 and an additional pair of tabs
170 at the top end of the opening 166. Tabs 170 are engaged in the
slots 172 formed in the upper end of the opening 78 of driver 72
and tabs 168 fit over the short legs 174 of the feet 182 on plate
72.
[0070] By this arrangement, the strip of caps passes through the
opening 166 in cutter 162 on its way to the front end of the
fastener driver device 10. The rear edge 176 of the plate 165 is
sharpened so as to serve as a cutting edge.
[0071] As driver plate 72 is moved to its retracted position, the
cutting edge 176 of the plate 165, which is mounted on plate 72 as
shown in FIG. 7, will move into engagement with the lower surface
of the connecting tab between two adjacent caps 26 for the purpose
of severing that tab. The upper cutter plate 164 is positioned to
act as a counter knife to the cutting edge 176 to effectuate the
cutting step. Upper knife 164 as seen in FIG. 13 includes two pairs
of ears 178 on opposite sides thereof. These ears receive in the
space 180 between them a tab 182 formed in the guide plates 188
mounted on opposite sides of the housing 24, as seen in FIG. 1B.
These plates, formed of metal, are supported on the housing by the
bolts 42 previously mentioned, and by an additional pair of bolts
190 which extend through aligned openings 192 formed in the housing
halves 28, 30. The latter bolts, along with screws 194, secure
housing half 28 to half 30 together. Screws 194 entered through
openings 195 formed in housing half 30 into screw bosses 196 formed
in the housing part 28, to form the complete assembly. In addition
a front cover plate 199 (FIG. 9) of metal may be provided over the
lower front end of the joined housing halves 28, 30 by securing it
to the housing by the use of lower bolt 190 which when installed
extends through opening in the tabs 199 of plate 190. This plate
strengthens the assembly and protects the preferably plastic
housing halves from wear and damage.
[0072] With knife 164 mounted on the tab 182 in this matter, it is
held against the front of the striker 20 of the fastening device,
so that its lower edge 200 cooperates with the cutting edge 176 of
lower knife 164 to break the tab between adjacent caps.
[0073] Because the cap adjacent to the leadmost cap is moved
upwardly by the action of the cutting device, and in order to
provide additional guidance to the next adjacent cap for entry into
the desired striking position beneath the head of the fastener
device 10, an ejector mechanism 210 is also provided within feed
mechanism 24. Ejector mechanism 210 includes an ejector plate 212
(FIG. 8) including an inclined foot 214 and a pair of tabs 216. The
latter are arranged to slide in the groove 218 formed in the ribs
36 in housing sections 28, 30, with foot 214 providing an extension
of the passage 54 immediately in front of and at the opening 78 of
driver knife 72. Plate 212 is biased into its lowermost position by
a coil spring 220 connected at one end in an opening 222 formed in
a tab 224 on plate 212. The other end of the coil spring is mounted
on a pin 226 secured in the aligned opposed apertures 228 formed in
the housing parts 28, 30. The downward movement of the plate 212 in
the grooves 218 is limited by engagement of tabs 216 against the
bottom of the grooves 218.
[0074] As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5B, when a fastener is fully driven
by striking of the fastener device against the substrate S and
workpiece W, the upward movement of the cap 26a adjacent the
leadmost cap 26' pushes the ejector plate upwardly into the
housing. When the fastener device 10 is moved away from the
substrate S, the spring 220 contracts driving the ejector
downwardly, forcing the leading edge of the next adjacent plate 26A
downwardly to move directly into a position below the front end of
the fastener device as the pusher plate 120 drives the strip
forward by the length of one cap.
[0075] Referring again to FIG. 2, it is noted that when a coil of
caps is placed in cavity 46, by the construction of the present
invention, the operator can manually guide the leading end of the
cap strip and urge the leading cap in the strip past the end of
stopper 142, at that point the cover plate 45 is installed and the
device will advance the lead cap through the remainder of
passageway 54 simply by the manual depression and release of plate
72 until the lead cap is moved into position beneath the driving
area of the fastener device. Thus eliminating need to unnecessarily
operate the fastener driving device.
[0076] Caps 26', as seen in FIGS. 20 and 21 are preferably somewhat
oval shaped and have flat sides 250 connected by narrow strips of
plastic 27. The flat sides serve to better engage the legs of the
pusher and stop arrangements. The top surface edges of the caps are
preferably inclined to provide a camming action against the pusher
and stop as described above. The center oval section 252 is
recessed to reduce the cap's thickness to make it easier for the
fastener leg or legs to penetrate. Indeed, if desired, the specific
area where the fastener penetrates can be made even thinner, as
indicated at the small circular areas 254 at which the legs of a
staple would penetrate. Of course it would be understood by those
skilled in the art that other known cap structures and shapes may
be used.
[0077] Accordingly, it is seen that a relatively simple continuous
feed cap advancing mechanism has been provided which can easily be
attached to an existing or pre-owned fastener device. It is to be
understood that although the illustrative embodiment of the
invention is particularly adapted for use with the well-known HT 50
brand staple gun tacker, the internal configuration of the rib
structure on the housing parts can be adapted to other shaped drive
heads such as used for example with hammer tackers of other
manufacturers like The Stanley Works and others. In that case, the
rib structures 32 for example are modified to accommodate a
differently shaped head.
[0078] In operation, as described above, when the fastener device
10 is driven as in the act of driving a nail, with the feed
mechanism of the present invention attached, the feet 82 of the
driver plate 72 initially contact the substrate S or work surface W
and the plate begins to move upwardly against the bias of the
spring 90. As it does so, the pusher 120 rides along the adjacent
cap 26' in the vertical portion of the passageway 54. As the plate
72 continues to move upwardly, the foot 20 of the fastener device
then engages the substrate or work surface and begins to move
inwardly as well into the drive head. This motion ultimately
actuates the fastener device to drive a fastener through a cap
below it and into the substrate and/or work place as seen in FIG.
4. As this occurs, the driver plate 72 also reaches its uppermost
position allowing the free ends of the pusher 120 to enter the
space between the next adjacent cap and the one it just rode over
between the legs 148 of the stop device 140. As noted above, the
stop device 140 prevents the cap strip from moving upwardly in
channel 54 as the pusher rides over the adjacent cap in moving to
its uppermost position.
[0079] As the plate 72 is moving to its innermost position and the
staple is being driven, the cutter edge 175 of the lower cutter
mounted on the plate 72 moves towards the lower edge of the upper
cutter, in a parallel path, which action serves to cut or break the
connecting tab 27 between the lead cap 26' and its immediately
adjacent cap 26a.
[0080] When the fastener driving device is moved away from the work
piece, the striker of the fastener driving device and the drive
plate 72 both return to their extended positions. As that occurs,
the pusher 120 moves downwardly, to advance the cap strip by the
length of one cap, moving the next cap, e.g. 26a, into position
beneath the fastener device head 12 in the area 21. At the same
time the ejector plate moves downwardly under the influence of its
associated spring 226, to push the cap 26' downwardly in the
desired path of travel.
[0081] Although an illustrative embodiment of the invention has
been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings,
it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may
be effected therein by those skilled in the art without departing
from the scope or spirit of the invention. In addition, it is noted
that the invention is not limited in its application to staple gun
tackers, but to any form of tacker or fastener device to which the
continuous feed device can be mounted.
* * * * *